Posted by Michael Wonder on 08 May 2019
In Canada, a little known drug regulator shows its teeth
8 May 2019 - A tiny, little-known government agency is ramping up regulation of Canada’s pharmaceutical industry, seeking to rein in prices for patented drugs that are among the highest in the world, according to industry sources and a Reuters analysis of government data.
The federal Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) is targeting an increasing number of expensive drugs, including a rare-disease medication made by Horizon Pharma that can cost C$325,000 ($253,409) a year, documents reviewed by Reuters shows.
The agency can challenge the list price of any patented drug in Canada and order companies to repay some revenue. Data show the number of open PMPRB investigations into potentially overpriced drugs has more than doubled since 2013, reaching 122 as of March 2018.
